{"nrhp_refnum":"83004141","name":"Tantiusques Reservation","other_names":["Stubridge Lead Mine"],"category":"site","location":{"address":"Leadmine Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Sturbridge","county":"Worcester County","state":"MA","lat":42.05814277300007,"lon":-72.13037786210475,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-10-06","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Exploration/Settlement"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A historic graphite (\"black lead\") mine site of about 15 acres on both sides of Leadmine Road in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, near the Holland town line. It includes an open cut, a tunnel entrance, tailings piles, stone walls and an old access road.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is the earliest documented lead or graphite mine in the region and among the earliest in Massachusetts. It is tied to the Winthrop family from 1643 to 1784 and later to businessman Frederick Tudor. It is largely undisturbed and could yield information on mining technology over some 300 years, and the Native population likely used it earlier.","narrative":"Tantiusques Reservation is a graphite mine site in Sturbridge, Massachusetts, covering about 15 acres of wooded upland on both sides of Leadmine Road. Visible remains include an open cut about 750 feet long, a tunnel entrance, mounds and ramps of mine tailings, stone retaining walls, rock-cut steps and an old access road. English colonists first learned of the deposit in 1633 through Native informants, and John Winthrop, Jr. acquired it in 1643. The Winthrop family held it until 1784, with limited production, in part because early miners mistook graphite for lead. Frederick Tudor reopened the mine in 1828 to supply graphite for crucibles, and mining ended in the early 20th century. The site is considered the earliest documented lead or graphite mine in the region and, because it has been largely undisturbed since, it may reveal how mining methods developed over about three centuries. It has been held by a conservation trust since 1962.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","B","D"],"status_note":"Described as excellently preserved and undisturbed since the early 20th century; owned by a conservation trust and open to the public. The interior mine shaft was not explored for safety reasons.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.542759-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/58/7971/63797158/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83004141.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004141/ddbe8bb8e0-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83004141/ddbe8bb8e0-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tantiusques_-_IMG_7327.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tantiusques_-_IMG_7327.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63797158","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tantiusques","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7683841"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/worcester-county/tantiusques-reservation-83004141/"}